Not a Monster
by SabrinaYutsuki
Summary: Zoey realizes something about Logan, after her wrestling bout.
1. Chapter 1

NOT A MONSTER Part 1

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Zoey realizes something about Logan, after her wrestling bout.

My first Zoey 101 fic. I confess that I'm actually a few years older than the target market of Zoey 101 but I find the relationship of Zoey and Logan an interesting one, and Logan's personality is certainly something fun to work with.

Hope you all like it. This is going to be a Zoey/Logan fic.

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She woke up with a headache the size of PCA. Opening her eyes, she saw the glare of the white lights and shut her eyes again. She was wrong. The headache felt worse - probably the size of Logan's ego.

Speaking of Logan, she heard a slight murmur of a familiar-sounding boy.

'Ah Yes.'

It was all getting clearer to her now. The wrestling match, Chase and the gang telling her that the game lasted only a meager 3 seconds; and, the climax of it all - Logan standing up for her and earning himself an injury for her sake. 24 hours ago, she would not have thought it possible for Logan and "sacrifice" to look each other in the eye, but they had - and then some. Heck, Logan and "sacrifice" had even shaked hands, and hugged each other.

A wave of concern rushed towards her head and she forced herself to get up and open her eyes. Was Logan alright? The headache reminded her of an intense pain, but she had long forgotten. She looked at the bruised boy in front of her, saw him in peaceful repose, and sighed in relief. Minus the bruise and the cuts, and the nasty black eye, he could have just been having a normal good night's sleep. A very, very good night's sleep. Zoey noticed for the very first time how cute he looked like when he was in dream land - eyes heavily shut, a small grin, and a steady, even breathing that caused his short curls to bob up and down. Who would have thought that he was actually a monster when he was awake?

She smiled. The faint sound of a school bell ringing interrupted her lull. A few kilometers away, students were scurrying towards their classes like chickens. She and Logan, however, could get some more well-deserved rest. Almost instantly, a shallow dream filled her mind like a mist and the hours rolled on quickly.

By the time she woke up again, two guys and two girls were hovering over her with worried looks.

"How are you feeling?"

The headache had subsided and she could barely feel the sting of her wounds. She smiled.

"I feel much better, thanks."

She quickly turned to her side to see the status of her companion and noticed he was still asleep.

"Did you catch Logan awake?"

Chase nodded, a little solemnly.

"Yeah we did but only for, like, 5 minutes. He was still in so much pain so we had him go back to sleep."

Zoey's face fell. "Oh." A wave of guilt hit her, and she felt her guts being swished together uncomfortably. Guilt AND concern. A thousand possibilities made a macalana in her head - What if Logan had to stay in the clinic for a month? What normally happened to the other victims of Chuck Javers? What if Logan could no longer make sarcastic and egotistical remarks?

She frowned. He annoyed her, yes. But she had gotten used to the annoyance... and it had slowly turned into a crucial part of her life in PCA, although she wouldn't admit to anyone (even herself).

As if her life had become a famous soap opera, a nurse came in on cue with a nondescript clipboard.

"Mr. Reese is going to be fine. Just had one too many bruises but by tomorrow he'll feel much better and more talkative."

Chase groaned. "THAT was the part of Logan we could have lived longer without." The rest of the crew giggled a bit, but in reality everyone had been holding their breath for the nurse's findings, and were all glad that he was going to be fine.

"You should all leave now, so Zoey could rest some more. Or would you like to go back to your dorm already?"

Zoey shook her head almost too immediately. "No, it's fine. I'll stay here."

The nurse smirked.

"Okay then, Mr. Reese could use the company. The rest of you, please go back to your dorms."

Zoey smiled. Chase looked at Zoey with a slightly forlorned look but she didn't notice. She never did.

Chase cursed himself - 'Why couldn't I have been the one to stick up for Zoey at that wrestling match?' 


	2. Chapter 2

NOT A MONSTER Part 2

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Zoey realizes something about Logan, after her wrestling bout.

Mucho thanks to all those who reviewed or put me in their alert lists ) My chapters are more or less going to be short, as I am imagining them being played as several scenes in the TV show.

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The sky was painted an ominous dark blue, with blotches of black and purple. He was walking along a crooked path, the sound of gravel crunching underneath his sneakers. In the faint distance, he could make out the silhouette of a short, blonde girl he knew. He ran towards her but his legs refused to cooperate and a massive cramp hit him, causing him to land on the rough path. Tiny stones pierced his cheek and his breathing became ragged as he began to panic.

He could see her a bit better now. She was wearing a denim skirt and a long-sleeve shirt. She looked like she was smiling... her face was not so clear. Just then, a large boy loomed over her, out of nowhere, roaring like a lion who hadn't eaten for 8 days.

He had to save her. But how? He was down on the ground and his legs were asleep. He cursed. The lion-like boy got ready to make his move. He shouted to her to warn her. His voice was gone! He had to warn her. He had to!

"Aaaah!"

He woke up, beads of sweat tickling his forehead. It was only a dream... A bad one. A pain shot right up to his head and he remembered he was in the clinic, suffering from a bad injury. He groaned.

"Logan!"

He turned his head immediately to the source of the voice, and regretted his action. The headache got worse.

"Logan, are you okay?"

Zoey frowned and held his hand. It was an automatic reflex on her part and Logan felt a sudden warmth on his hands that was very welcome. He smiled a bit, although his eyes were creased in pain.

"Depends, is the black eye still ruining my face?"

She rolled her eyes. His vanity was inappropriate given his situation, but also expected. "Yes, the black eye is still there ruining your GOD-LIKE face". He grinned, "You know Zoey, I don't think you should be making such sarcastic remarks to me, especially since I'm lying here on this uncomfortable bed because of you." She crossed her arms in defense and raised her left eyebrow. "Look, I didn't tell you to stand up for me you know!" But she stopped in midway to change her tone. She gave a saccharine smile. "But I'm glad you did. And yes, Reese, I will quit the sarcastic remarks... but only for now."

ogan smiled and nodded, and suddenly realized something that caused his cheeks to heat up, despite the airconditioning that the clinic had. He looked down where his right hand was, and saw a female hand on top of it. Almost instantly, Zoey looked at the same spot, and got surprised. She took out her hand and looked uncomfortably from one wall of the clinic to the other, afraid to catch Logan's eyes. Logan faked a cough.

The blonde girl smothered the proverbial mess with hurried words. "Well I'm heading over to Sushi Rox for some maki. I'm gonna get you some too." Logan's nod was exaggerated. "Y...yeah, okay thanks. Sushi will be great."

Zoey walked quickly to the door and left the room, releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding.

'What the hell was that all about?!' 


	3. Chapter 3

NOT A MONSTER Part 3

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Zoey realizes something about Logan, after her wrestling bout.

I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story ) :) I'm enjoying writing it as well.

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"1 california maki set, and 1 spicy tuna roll set please. For take out."

The familiar Japanese figure wearing a bandana on his forehead looked at the blonde girl and smiled. Zoey and her friends were his favorite customers. They always added a cheerful aura to his restaurant, and Chase was a dedicated employee. Plus, they had come through for him when his restaurant burned down, raising enough money for him to rebuild it.

"Wow, Zoey. You feeling extra hungry today?"

She giggled. "No, Kazu. The other one is for Logan."

Kazu raised his eyebrow, "Oh?"

He wasn't the type to eavesdrop on conversations but Zoey's friends hung out at his restaurant too often for him not to understand the dynamics of their group.

"Well, Logan IS quite the jerk, and though I'd normally rather fool him with a jar of 'wasabi juice' rather than treat and serve him, I owe him one this time around."

The man from the Land of the Rising sun smiled, deciding not to push the topic further.

"Oh and Kazu, can I have some extra soy sauce for the maki? Logan likes a lot of that."

He nodded, and placed an extra soy sauce container inside one of the stryofoams, and gingerly closed the lid, locking it in place. The blonde handed him a few crispy bills and left the restaurant with the restaurant owner, beaming at her back.

This was certainly an unusually amusing development.

Speaking of Zoey, her curly-haired sidekick, who was also his sidekick in Sushi Rox, appeared from the back.

"What are you smiling about boss?"

"Nothing, nothing. Your female friend came in here and ordered 2 rolls."

"Zoey? Was she feeling extra hungry today? I was just on my way to see her."

Kazu smirked. "That was my line too, but turns out she bought the other roll for Logan."

Chase stared. A pang of jealousy kept on banging his head but his optimism tried to block the incessant noise out. Logan was badly injured because of Zoey. Logan was in no condition to buy himself dinner. Of course, she was going to buy him some food - that's what friends were for, right?

Right?

Chase smiled sadly, grabbed the last of his deliveries for the day, and took off. As soon as he was away from Kazu's view, he sprinted towards the clinic like mad, hoping his two left feet won't give him any trouble... at least just this one time.

The sushi master could only enjoy the drama of teenage life unfold in front of his very own oriental eyes as he went back to tending the Kakiage(1) sizzling in the hot oil.

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His curly mop of hair stuck to his forehead with sweat. The distance between Sushi Rox and the clinic wasn't marathon-long but with the blistering heat and the occassional instances when his right foot would almost get intertwined with his left, the run was an excruciatingly tiring one.

He opened the door to the clinic in a hurried daze, and Zoey and Logan looked at him like rabbits caught in the headlights. Chase laughed nervously, making his voice crackle.

"Dude, you look like you were being chased by a mob!"

"Oh no, Chase! Did you set fire to another building again?" Zoey's eyes filled with concern.

"No, no, no. I wasn't chased by a mob and I didn't set fire to a building, and by the way, I have NEVER burned a building down. Sushi Rox was as much your fault as mine."

Zoey shrugged and grinned devilishly, "Chill, Chase. I was just kidding. So... Enlighten us. Why the rush?"

"Ummm..." Obviously, he didn't think this out better. As usual, his impulse got the better of him, and he wondered how he could possibly worm himself out of this deep mess. His "umm" was starting to sound like a meditation chant but before Logan could tell him what a dork he was at the moment, the rest of the gang had appeared.

The conversation among the gang was lively as Lola, Quinn, and Michael repeated over and over again how relieved they were that Zoey and Logan were much better. Chase welcomed the distraction. He had so many unanswered questions, unspoken words, but perhaps he could voice them out another time...

In this area, procrastination seemed to be Chase Matthews' expertise.

By the time the short anecdotes of the day had been said (some of them twice), the sky was dark outside, as seen from the glass window by Logan's side. The nurse had come in to shoo them away, including Zoey, who clearly no longer needed to stay there.

Lola and Quinn left the clinic first, chatting about random things, followed by Michael and Chase who were just silently marching out. Zoey was the last to leave. She took a final glance at Logan, who was looking right at her, smirking.

"Sleep tight, Logan".

The receiving end showed his toothy grin. "You, too. And Zoey?"

"Yeah?"

"Dinner was great."

Zoey snickered and nodded in agreement, before closing the door gently behind her.

Logan felt that he was going to sleep quite well that night.

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And he was absolutely right.

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Author's Notes (1) Kakiage is this deep-fried Japanese dish. It's like a cake made of different sliced vegetables.


	4. Chapter 4

NOT A MONSTER Part 4 Old Habits Die Hard

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Zoey realizes something about Logan, after her wrestling bout.

Thanks for all the comments! Love ya all :)

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Sad how good things end so quickly. After 7 take-out dinners, a lot of laughs sprinkled with some light-hearted sarcasm, and a few, very few but memorable uncomfortable moments, the bruises and the black eye had faded, and the cuts had been replaced by scars that he hoped would disappear soon, lest they ruin his Greek god-like face. The only cast left was the one on his right leg, which was too stubborn to get healed like the rest of him.

Stubborn... just like his mind.

In some sick, strange way, he hoped he'd bump himself unknowingly into a large tree and get another injury, but he knew he was way too athletic to do something that uncoordinated.

Perhaps he could take a lesson or two from dear old roommate, Chase, who was most likely still asleep, with at least 1 more hour till the alarm clock announced it was wake-up time.

Logan pondered that he should probably unlock the door to their room as quiet as a mouse, so as not to wake him up. But he was Logan, and he was the self-confessed handsome jerk (emphasis on the handsome), so he made an extravagant entrance, "accidentally" throwing his bag on the floor beside his bunk bed, as it made a loud thud.

Chase, mouth open, a little drool threatening to leave his lips, immediately woke up startled. Michael, mimicking a similar position, screamed like an 8-year old girl.

"Missed me?" - Logan winked.

"Logan! why the hell did you wake us up for?! I was dreaming of a stint in Friday Night Live, and I was just getting to the punchline!", Chase screamed murder.

Reese shrugged.

"I needed help with unpacking. My cast in the right leg won't be taken off till the end of this week."

Chase and Michael grumbled.

"Remember why I have this cast. It's because the two of you were too chicken to defend Zoey yourselves."

Even more incoherent grumbling as the duo shuffled off their beds and groggily walked to Logan's side of the room and unpacked his stuff.

Logan smirked. Maybe the cast was his ticket to more Zoey time.

And maybe, she didn't have to know that the cast was due to be taken off in 2 days.

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Class was about to start as Logan awkwardly tried to ease himself into his desk. It proved to be a truly difficult task, if it wasn't for a pair of female hands who rushed to help him out.

Zoey.

Logan tried to steady his heart beat, afraid that the rest of the class would hear it and start teasing him. He was supposed to be the impenetrable, invincible heartthrob. He didn't chase girls. Girls chased him! Why the hell were his legs turning to jello?

Little did he know that Zoey was speaking her own mantra inside her head. A mantra that reminded her that Logan was a jerk, and that he was the last person she would ever, ever have feelings for. So why was she so adamant about helping him to his desk? And why were her hands threatening to tremble?

Thankfully for them, Logan had finally gotten into his seat, and Zoey scampered to her own seat without so much a word.

The teacher started rambling on force and the acceleration due to gravity, and numbers that didn't make much sense at that moment. The usually attentive blonde couldn't concentrate at all.

Logan wasn't listening either. This wasn't a shocker - he was the epitome of an underachiever. However, while his thoughts usually escaped to a world where all the girls were swooning over him, today his imaginary world just had one girl in it.

When class ended, that one girl went up to him, reluctantly.

"Soo... when's the cast coming off?"

The gears in his mind started whirring.

"2 weeks."

Zoey frowned, guilty as ever.

Inside his head, Logan was dancing like crazy. He knew that when Zoey finds out, she was going to get really pissed at him. For now, however, he was going to savor each moment.

For Logan Reese, trickery is an old habit that dies hard.

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	5. Chapter 5

NOT A MONSTER Part 5 - The First Time it Hits Him

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Zoey realizes something about Logan, after her wrestling bout.

Thanks for all the comments! It's been AGES since my last update but I hope you enjoy it just the same =) It's quite a short chapter, but I felt it would be more dramatic to end this chapter this way.

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It had to happen one day or another, but why did it have to happen this instance?

Like all geniuses with brilliant plans, one plan was bound to get screwed up one way or another. It had something to do with that pesky law of statistics. Out of every hundred or so great ideas, one would blow up in his face*. Sadly, it had to be this one.

Logan Reese figured that 2 weeks of being in agony was a reasonable duration for his recovery and that he'd manage to get lots of Zoey time in the process. What he had totally forgotten was that they were having a week long field trip on the second week. Which meant that: 1) Zoey time was going to be cut in half; and 2) He was not going to be able to attend the field trip without compromising his lie.

His plan had definitely screwed up big time.

And he was looking forward to this field trip too! He had asked his dad to buy him a completely new (and excessively expensive) set of camping gear, including a pair of hiking shoes that had not hit the shelves yet. PLUS, he'd spent the past few months secretly jogging, and doing extra time in the gym, just to make sure that everyone was going to be majorly impressed with his athleticism... not that there was any doubt about that.

Not to mention the fact that the cast was itchy as hell and that it was taking all his will power not to just yank it out and throw the cast out the window!

Before he could vent further, there was a knock on his dorm door. He growled "Come in!", but immediately regretted it when he saw blond hair appearing on his door step.

"Oh Zoey!"

She frowned. "Sorry, did I come at a bad time?"

"No it's okay, come in."

She hesitated before entering the room, as though she was about to step inside the principal's office. Spotting a nearby bean bag, she plopped right in.

Logan took no opportunity to continue the conversation. He was still mad about making such a mistake. Him, the great Logan Reese making this big a mistake? And all for one stupid girl? Was he getting pathetic or what!

Zoey was left to do the ice breaking.

"Sooooo... someone's a bit grumpy today, aren't we?"

Still no reaction.

"So, everyone's EXTREMELY excited about the field trip next week. The gang plans on making paint balloons there and having this huge paint baloon fight. It's really too bad you can't make it!"

This hit a sensitive chord. Did Zoey see right through his frustrations and was she making a mockery out of them?

The blonde, however, had not intended to rub off on him that way - she was just trying to make friendly conversation before she told him the real reason why she was there. Sensing the tension on the room reaching an all-time high, she nervously tried to escape with the help of humor. "Having a bad hair day?" She muttered playfully. It was lame but she hoped it would suffice.

Bantering seemed to be second nature when the two of them were around each other. When they had first met, and up until recently, they were hostile towards each other and the tirade of words was like an intellectual sword fight between the two. Over the weeks, however, the exchange of words had been friendlier, and had become their savior when those uncomfortable moments creeped out of nowhere. She had thought that this was going to be one of those days when she could effectively use that weapon.

Unfortunately, he wasn't himself that day, and he, instead, lashed out surprisingly, instead of just giving a charming, albeit sarcastic response.

"Gee I don't know Zoey, maybe I'm grumpy because I've got this stupid cast for being stupid enough to stand up for you, and now I can't attend the stupid camping trip I've been looking forward to!"

Zoey jumped from the bean bag, alarmed at his venomous response. Logan Reese berated himself for being such a jerk, but his pride was refusing to let him apologize.

Before he finally got his tongue untied, beads of tears fell down her cheek as she stomped out of the room. Midway through the door, she turned back, the curly haired boy still stunned.

"I was actually gonna tell you that I planned on ditching the whole week-long trip to keep you company, but you know what - forget it!"

A heavy buzz swarmed around her blonde head as she ran towards the exit, repeating over and over again to herself that she was not going to cry. Not over someone like him. She couldn't toss aside the pang of guilt that was slowly eating her up though. Ultimately, it was really her fault he had to be in such a predicament and she hated herself for it. Her internal thoughts had been so loud and persistent that she had not heard the boy utter a "Sorry" to her.

At that moment, for the very first time, something hit Logan Reese flat in the guts... something that had never affected him before.

Guilt.

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A/N:

* Of course, we all know that in reality, most of Logan's devious schemes takes a bad turn (Logan himself wouldn't admit it though hehe) ;)

-to be continued!- 


	6. Chapter 6

NOT A MONSTER Part 6 - Would you Rather

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Zoey realizes something about Logan, after her wrestling bout.

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Logan awoke feeling equally as awful as the previous day.

He had waited for Zoey outside her dorm room the next morning, only to find her roommate, Quinn, who told him Zoey left a few minutes ago, leading him to curse his stupid fake cast again for slowing him down. By the time he got to class, the students had already settled in and the teacher was already preparing for his boring lecture. Another missed opportunity. He would have tried passing a note to her but a quick glance at her seething aura that day made him rethink it.

The teacher droned on about algebraic equations while he drowned himself in self-loathing.

When the bell rang, he was jolted out of his own little world and nearly fell off his seat, eliciting several snickers. Rolling his eyes and regaining his composure, he stood up and ran to Zoey, which, due to his cast, looked more like a clumsy one-legged race with himself.

Zoey had no intention of waiting up and simply picked up her pace towards the next class.

7 minutes. He had seven minutes to talk to her (a lot less if he couldn't even catch up to her!) before the bell rang and another class would pass by, and he would torment himself again. He couldn't bear it any longer. He threw his crutches away in frustration, then sprinted towards Zoey despite the cast, which just caused him to lose his balance and fall.

A couple of people on the hallway gasped and stopped to help him, asking him if he was okay. He could almost feel the hairs at the back of his neck stand up. He always revelled in being the center of attention but not like this. Not now. Not when he felt desperate, pathetic. Not cool and suave like he usually was.

Zoey looked back at the commotion and stopped in her tracks, her indignation mellowing into concern as she rushed towards him and kneeled before him.

"Jeez Reese! You shouldn't be running around without your crutches!" She said as angrily as she could to try to mask the kind expression in her eyes.

Logan shook his head. "I don't really deserve your concern, Zoey."

She stared, perplexed. "Stop with the drama, Logan. You're..."

Her sentence was cut short as the curly-haired ego ripped off his cast haphazardly, stood up, and extended his arm towards her to bring her up.

"Wha...?" Now she was more confused, but in a matter of seconds, all the pieces of the puzzle came together, with Logan's guilty expression being the final jigsaw piece. She slapped off Logan's extended hand, rose up, and burst out. "You... You were PRETENDING all along that you couldn't walk? Wha... Why would you DO THAT?"

"No, no, it wasn't 'all along'. It was more like... just a few days ago. I just... I..."

But before he could even explain himself, Mrs. Trelawney came by, gave Logan an evil eye, and urged everyone to hurry along to their classes ("Without running in the hallways"), mere seconds before the bell rang.

Zoey's face was a kaleidoscope that started off with rage and ended with complete and utter hurt. She briskly turned her face away from Logan and ran off. Somehow it felt like she was walking away from him forever, and he wished he was being pounded into a pulp by Chuck Javers, rather than living with the fact that Zoey was never gonna talk to her again.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur of disappointed glares from classmates, more self-loathing, and cold shoulders from Logan's friends.

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When the last bell had finally rung, Zoey didn't notice. She had tried to focus all her concentration on the lectures, or at least appear like she was concentrating on the lectures, just so she wouldn't cry.

She didn't want to cry over it. She didn't want him to know how much this affected her. How much his company had meant to her these past few days. Not when he obviously thought it was all a joke. But remembering how Logan looked just hours ago disarmed her. She had never seen him like that. He was always so self-assured. Could he be... guilty?

She shook her head. She didn't want to even consider that possibility. She was not gonna disappoint herself twice.

The inner ramblings would have continued forever if it had not been for Chase clearing his throat.

Zoey immediately snapped back to reality - "Wha wha?"

"Um, classes have been over for 15 minutes already"

"Oh, uh yeah. I knew that. Was just... absorbing the lecture we had during the last class."

Chase nodded, not wanting to point out that the last class was study period.

"So, Mr. Kazu gave me a couple of maki's today because someone cancelled an order at the last minute. Want to help me finish them up by our favorite hang-out spot?"

Zoey smiled and nodded. Distraction and maki. Who could say no?

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The maki was finished all too soon, and the mood had grown quiet once again. Chase searched for something to say, but instead opted for something a little nearer to his comfort zone.

"What would you rather eat? A cup of grilled beetles, or one living worm?"

Zoey made a disgusted face. "Uh, Eew?"

"Come on, answer. We haven't played 'Would you Rather' for a couple of weeks now."

Zoey smiled contemplatively.

"I'd go for the grilled beetles. At least I can mash them up and pretend I'm eating dust or something. I do NOT want a living worm wriggling inside my mouth. Eew! Would you rather... sit through Mrs. Trelawney's lecture for 5 straight hours OR listen to Jodie talk about all her boyfriends for 5 straight hours?"

Chase shook in revulsion. "Between botany and boyfriends? I think I'd pick the first. Would you rather..."

"Would you rather feed me to a group of piranhas or have me mauled by a bunch of bears?"

Zoey and Chase quickly looked up to see a curly haired guy (sans his cast) right in front of them.

Logan repeated his question. "Piranhas or bears?"

Zoey cocked one eyebrow, "Depends. Which one would hurt more?"

Logan released the breath he had been holding. Zoey's answer certainly wasn't inviting but she was answering back and that was progress. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, head held low, he meekly asked, "Can I sit down?"

Chase kept quiet and waited for the brown-haired girl to answer, who eventually nodded. The silence was now suffocating.

"Zoey, can I please explain?"

This time, she didn't nod.

"Why would you do that?" she said quietly at first, but as her ramblings progressed, her voice grew louder, croaking every now and then as she fought back tears.

"Did you have fun playing the guilt card and expecting everyone to fawn over you? What is it with you and your desire to always be the center of attention? And the one thing I can't understand the most is why you would suddenly confess that the cast wasn't real in front of everybody... when you could have still had their sympathy! I just don't get it!"

"Because I didn't need their sympathy! I only wanted yours!"

Zoey eye's widened at his outburst. She could feel her heart pounding fiercely against her chest and convinced herself it was from the anger and not from anything else. Chase, sensing it was something between the two of them, silently left the two of them.

Logan massaged his temples, his heart beating just as madly.

"Zoey, I... I didn't want to take you on this guilt trip. I just... I just... ugh... I feel so pathetic."

"You just? What? Tell me."

He bowed his head in defeat. "I just... wanted an excuse to hang out with you longer."

This wasn't easy to believe. The walking ego, Logan Reese, admitting to such a thing? Was she hearing things?

"That day when you went to my room and told me about the camping trip, I was so pissed. Pissed because my plan backfired. Because instead of getting to hang out with you, my cast just did the opposite. And I..."

"I was supposed to tell you I planned to just skip the camping trip to keep you company", she interrupted, while fiddling with her key necklace.

"You... you did?" He asked, his voice squeaking (why the hell was he becoming so uncool?)

She nodded. He scooted over, reveling in the surprisingly comfortable silence that blanketed them amidst the cool early evening breeze. They stayed that way for minutes.

Finally, she smiled and asked, "Would you rather go to the camping trip with me or wear that cast again?"

He looked into her chestnut eyes and couldn't help but smile like an idiot. The uncool side of him was probably going to hang around longer, but who cared?

He leaned closer to her and with an even larger lopsided grin, replied.

"Depends. Would you still want me to be mauled by bears?"

She laughed heartily and they spent the rest of the night enjoying each other's company.

Tomorrow, Logan Reese was going to send Chuck Javers a nice Thank You gift.

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First of all, SORRY SORRY SORRY for the delay! Work has been crazy!  
Secondly, my initial plan was always to end here, but I feel like there are a few loose ends I did not tie, like Chase's feelings about the whole thing, and Logan and Zoey actually becoming a couple, as well as what happens during the camping trip. I'd like to know if you'd like me to continue and go through those details OR end here OR create a new story as a sort of episode 2 to Not a Monster. I'd love to hear your thoughts :)

Finally, many thanks for those who added me on their alerts or submitted their reviews. They meant a lot :)

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